Chest tubes are often inserted after lung surgery to remove fluids during healing.
They can be inserted during surgery, or with local anesthetic while you are awake.
Complications may include pain, bleeding, infection, orpneumothorax(collapsed lung).
muratseyit / Getty Images
The tube is sutured in place so it wont pull out of place when you move around.
When a chest tube is inserted immediately after surgery, general anesthesia is used in the operating room.
How Long Are They Left in Place?
For example:
Sometimes a leak persists and other treatment options may be considered.
Most air leaks will resolve on their own without further treatment.
The sutures are separated and the tube is then clamped.
The suture is then tied to wrap up the wound and a dressing applied.
This space usually contains only the equivalent of three to four teaspoons of fluid.
But with lung cancer, several liters of fluid may accumulate, or re-accumulate, quite rapidly.
When cancer cells are present in a pleural effusion, it is termed amalignant pleural effusion.
If a malignant pleural effusion is present, it categorizes lung cancer as stage 4.
This causes pain and shortness of breath.
There are many options for treating a recurrent pleural effusion, whether the effusion is benign or malignant.
Shunt Placement
A shunt may also be placed to the outside of your body.
How often the fluid is drained depends on the symptom severity.
Cleveland Clinic.Collapsed lung (pneumothorax): management and treatment.
American Thoracic Society.Patient information series: chest tube thoracostomy.
2017;41(8):2039-2045. doi:10.1007/s00268-017-3975-x
American Lung Association.Chest tube procedure.
2015;7(6):10521057. doi:10.3978/j.issn.2072-1439.2015.01.51
